LTT624HCW supplied by TLC. LEDLite only supply through TLC and carefully avoid saying the actual manufacturer!
To be fair they are marketed as suitable for direct replacements for choke type fittings although they do give necessary wiring alterations for electronic types.
My 6 foots were not fitted with inductive ballasts.
Funny how they both have the same phone number, LEDlite is just an in-house brand of TLC.
Unsurprising.
I plan to leave the chokes in circuit for my workshop job and have some NTC Thermistors (20R, 3.3Amp) on the way from CPC.
A low value series resistor and an oscilloscope would give an indication of the inrush energy but it is nearly 60 years since I drove around the country with a Tektronix 545A strapped in the passenger seat of my Morgan!
If one tube blows 3A fuses repeatedly it's a bit much that the data sheet mentions neither inrush current nor maximum numbers for MCBs.
Is this a standard plug cartridge fuse. I would suggest the tube is faulty.
That is my experience too!
I would suggest this is an either or situation. A choke should limit current by itself. Check if there is an additional power factor capacitor in the fitting.
Many data-sheets I have come across intimate in inrush of 10's Amps for each tube. I have two lots of 10 in parallel to each switch, and the MCD hasn't tripped yet. And the switches still switch!
These were cheapos too. Perhaps I was very lucky?
Ok. Access tower job but they are identical fittings so I'll open up the first one..
My stuck switches were micro type which have spring disengagement:-(
Yes. Ok on 5amp cartridge.
I plan to open up the packaging before I leave TLC.
Yes, I have 3 x 40W LEDs on 6A MCBs and they're fine.
If they're blowing *fuses* then the 'inrush current' must be quite something as it takes a fair amount more than the fuse rating to blow it in less than several seconds.
If you keep the choke in circuit there's no point in NTCs. Better to put snubbers on your switch contacts
Any substantive inrush current would last 1ms or possibly less. Hence my surprise of blowing a fuse.
This should give an idea of what current is required to take out a 3A fuse:
Er. outside my knowledge. I assume contact weld occurs at *make* rather than *break* in this case.
What brought this up initially is where I found switch contacts hanging up where I had only 4 of these tubes connected. More robust switching or different tube characteristics probably explains why others have not had the same problem.
Switch type installed
Some suppliers give a hint at the energy by quoting peak current and duration. But I've not seen data for how BS1362 fuses behave below the bottom of the standard time/current curves - eg with an inrush current peaking at 40A but lasting less than 1ms.
I'm guessing here and happy to be corrected. I would expect some whiskers to be created on break, that may melt and weld contacts on a make. Any pitting will also lead to less contact area.
They're a 20A rating too!
L or NTC reduce i to a sane value, no point in both
both
I was the only customer in TLC yesterday pm so asked about in-rush. Was told 18A and less than 5 micros (though I'm not sure if he got the figures for 6' or 5'). Even assuming the 5 micros is T50 it don't seem much I2t to blow a 3A fuse.
I have changed one row of 4 twin 5' fittings without further switch problems. Currently fangling up a metal box/ceramic connector strip to take the NTC thermistors.
Access with a wheeled scaffold tower is not easy without major machinery moves so I am trepidating about the next row.
>
IMHO very wisely.
But FWIW if you're /really/ *really* desperate I have fall arrest harness, rope etc and will travel to strong coffee.
That's a very kind offer. Somewhere I have an arrest harness and always plenty of rope on a farm. The building construction doesn't offer convenient securing places as the bays are 20'.
My tower is a bit over 6' square. By shunting some of the smaller machines I can get reasonably safe access to the next row of lights. I only bought enough tubes to do 2 of the 4 rows (cost cf electricity savings) with the idea 2 rows plus some task lighting would suffice.
The biggest problem is freeing the plastic covers (weatherproof fittings) where they have welded themselves to the housing:-(
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